Quebec's rules for backyard pools the strictest

MONTREAL - Quebec has the strictest law in Canada regulating fences around backyard pools, but that doesn’t make it the safest, says the head of a pool trade association.

Mandating a four-sided fence around a pool is better than nothing, but it’s not a guaranteed way to keep young children from drowning.

“If a person doesn’t like a fence, he’ll find a way to not use it,” said Robert Wood, executive director of the Pool and Hot Tub Council of Canada.

“The fence will go into disrepair, or someone might prop the gate open.”

Quebec’s law, passed in 2010, is too young to prove itself effective in reducing pool drownings. It mandates that all pools built after 2010 must be entirely isolated by a fence (pools built before are subject to whatever municipal bylaw is in force).

This kind of four-sided fence with an automatic self-closing mechanism was recommended by Safe Kids Canada in their 2007 Child & Youth Unintentional Injury Report.

But a fence is just one layer of safety, Wood says. A safe-conscious home might have covers on pools when not in use, alarms that go off when someone opens a door, temporary baby fencing, or flotation devices, he says.

“It’s a good idea to offer consumers different choices.”

He cites the city of London, Ont., as a model. Its bylaw requires a fence, but it allows one side to be the outer wall of the house or a deck.

“As far as we know, there has not been a toddler drowning in a residential swimming pool in London/Middlesex for many years,” he wrote.

Its most effective provision for reducing drownings was a thorough education campaign that included radio and video spots, brochures given to pool owners, and ads on bus shelters stressing adult supervision, first aid knowledge, and swimming lessons.

“Whatever you do with a barrier, it still requires adult supervision,” he said. “You can’t let your guard down.”